In Minnesota, "Terroristic Threats" Might Not Mean What You Think It Does

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Feb 15, 2015

In Minnesota, "Terroristic Threats" Might Not Mean What You Think It Does

Posted By
Joshua London

When you see the words “terroristic threat” what comes to mind?
For many, the phrase conjures up an image of an Al Qaeda member threatening
to bomb a building and kill hundreds of people. But, in Minnesota, the
crime of Terroristic Threats usually doesn’t involve anything we
traditionally associate with terrorism. Instead Minnesota describes terroristic
threats as directly or indirectly threatening to commit a crime of violence
with the purpose to terrorize another. So, by telling the guy who’s
stealing your spot in the Target check-out line that you’re going
to punch him in the face, you may have committed the crime of Terroristic Threat.

Like most people, many employers are unfamiliar with the
Minnesota Terroristic Threats laws. Therefore, a conviction for terroristic threats in Minnesota can be extremely
problematic when an individual is trying to find a job. New York for example,
calls making a threat to another person,
Menacing in the Second Degree. New York also has a statute called
“Making a Terroristic Threat” that criminalizes making a threat to commit an offense with the intent
to coerce or intimidate a civilian population. So, it makes sense that
an employer in New York who sees a Minnesota conviction for Terroristic
Threats could assume the potential employee is a terrorist. Not particularly
helpful when you’re trying to find work.

To avoid misunderstandings about what exactly constitutes a Terroristic
Threat, some have proposed amending Minnesota’s statute to more
accurately reflect the behavior the statute seeks to prevent. An alternative
to New York’s law, “Menacing,” the term “Criminal
Threat” is used by
Kansas and
California. An employer who sees a conviction for “criminal threat” would
likely have a much clearer picture of what the crime entailed than one
who sees a conviction for terroristic threats.